Living the (literal) High Life

It's nice not being homeless in Damascus. Not that there was ever any risk of that, but to live in a wardrobe is incredibly different than living in a suitcase. When we initially got to Damascus our hostel host offered us to stay in his apartment for 2000 SYP a month (equivalent to 500 CAD) which divided by 3 would be... hella cheap. Unfortunately, he thought our French "Institute" was the French Embassy and so the relative closeness he described was fictitious. So back to the drawing board for the weary travellers, spending exorbatant amounts of money each day in a cushy hostel. The next day we went to our Institute and looked to see what they had posted. The first post seemed promising, advertising a 2 bedroom apartment very near to the French Institute. We met with the landlord who seemed willing to negotiate the 2500 SYP a month, under one condition: no boys. Our mixed household was quashed, and while my compatriots had a comfortable 2 bedroom dwelling, I was again homeless. The landlord's name was Osama (reoccuring theme, eh?) and he actually had 2 2 bedroom apartments. So we went back to the insitute and tried to figure out what to do, having not given Osama a definite answer.

While putting our heads together a boyman walked into the institute and said "hello" to us. His name was Jeremie and was from France. He arrived in Damascus two days before and was looking for an apartment. ohhh really???? He went into the institute, came our a little while later, and then I asked him, having met him 55 minutes earlier, if he needed a place and a roomate. He said, "euhh, bah, oue." (but in English) and so 20 minutes later we were scoping the APT. After a brief deliberation it was ours and that evening we moved in. Jeremie and I on floor 4, Leah and Jordan on floor 3. Their APT is nicer and had AC, but hey, we've got the balcony and the view so we winl.

SOur apartment has a tiny kitchen, 1 1/2 baths, 2 separate bedrooms, a salon that has a TV room/ attached hallway/dining room and then a wrap around balcony with access to the roof. In other words, on top of the world and big. For about $300 CAD per person a month, things could be worse. Not to mention 3 minutes walk away from classes, so the 8:10 alarm for an 8:30 class is manageable. Here are some pictures, emphasis on the view of Mount Qasioun (جبل قاسيون):


View from my bedroom window


Bookshelf: Nerd alert, 5 Arabic Text/Reference Books


Hallway/Dining Space (in the background in the TV/salon)


Our (messy) Deckspace


Down from the Roofstairs


View of the Mountain. Civilization creeps up like a fungus.


Sundown from the rooftop with da moon


Mount Qasioun again

Our neighborhood is in the embassyville of Damascus. Our apartment/institute is in the neighborhood Shaalan/Abu Romaneh whereas our hostel was in the walled Old City. In between is "central Damascus" which is essentially the "real-person" commercial district, still more vibrant than our niche, but not as impressive as the old city (from which my last blogs pictures were taken). So while it is large and relatively cheap (surprising since this neighborhood in notorious for expensive rent) the neighborhood is for the foreigners/well to-do locals. Maybe living in the old city would be more fun, at least we're near the study destination. Below is a Damascene map for orientation:



So good roomate, good place, and okay location. Not bad at all. My roomate and are are getting into cooking things, exploring things, and generally being travellers. I think we have a lot in common and that we'll be very compatible flatmates and travel companions. All in all, things are looking up. (literally) Lets just hope Osama fixes our Air Conditioning.

E